RESTORE Going Strong in September
RESTORE our partnership with the USDA Emergency Food Program, Metropolitan Ministries, Winn-Dixie Supermarket, ECHO, and South Shore UMC and many other contributors and volunteers is still going strong. In September, we have been serving 130-150 families on Tuesday and Thursday morning from 10 AM until noon.
Come if you are in need of emergency food. We ask that you do not come onto our property until 9:30 AM, but we are glad to serve the needs of our community.
Bible Passage of the Week
Be Wise, Not Unwise
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesians 5:15-20 (NIV)
New RUMC In-Person Attendance Guidelines
Thanks to the new Delta variant of COVID-19, Florida now leads the nation in the number of new daily COVID cases. We at Riverview UMC, like many other local churches, schools, and business, are attempting to navigate our way in this new pandemic environment.
We are still welcoming all who want to attend our indoor events, including our Sunday worship services. We will continue to offer two worship services on Sunday morning—at 8:00 AM in our fellowship hall and at 10:30 AM in our sanctuary. We will continue to support social distancing and hand sanitizers at every indoor event.
We are seriously recommending the use of masks or face shields for everyone attending our indoor events—especially for those with known health conditions or who have not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19. We will have a supply of paper masks available for those who need them.
Throughout the month of August, the Praise Band will still be providing music at the 10:30 AM, and they will be singing without face coverings, but socially distant from the congregation.
The RESTORE Food Bank is continuing in operation in August, as it has done all year. The Food Bank is open from 10 AM until Noon every Tuesday and Thursday. We continue to enforce the rule that no RESTORE client is welcome on the church premises before 9:30 AM. When you arrive, please observe the social distancing markers on the sidewalks and keep six feet apart while in line, and please stay outside of the buildings to avoid COVID spread. We are also seriously recommending the use of masks or face shields to our clients when they arrive, but we are aware that many clients will not wear face coverings during their stay. For this reason, we urge caution, especially for those who are of advanced age or who have serious health conditions.
Our “Virtual Church” Continues
We are still currently Live Streaming our 10:30 AM Sunday worship service every week. You can see worship as it is actually happening by connecting to our YouTube Channel "RUMC Live".
We continue to gather virtually using the ZOOM application on our computers or smart phones. We are using ZOOM to conduct many of our scheduled leadership meetings, and a weekly Wednesday Evening Bible Study on Wednesday at 6:30 PM.
On the website, as always, you will also see a link that will allow you to send in your tithes and offerings electronically; if you prefer to send your tithes and offerings by mail, please send them to:
Riverview First UMC
8002 U. S. Highway 301 South
Riverview, FL 33578
Remember–God loves you, and so do we!
Pastor Louis Telcy
Care Committee
Worship Committee
Upcoming Events
Sunday, September 12th (from Noon until 2:00 PM)--Our Open House Cook-Out. The celebration will be held by our newly renovated Youth Building. We will be inviting everyone to tour new facility. A free hamburger and hotdogs lunch will be served. Please come and join us. Invite your family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. There will also be many different free games for all ages. Please contact Connie Mosley if you are able to volunteer, or for additional information.
Sunday, October 31st (from 4:00 until 5:30 PM)--Trunk or Treat on our South Parking Lot. Invite your children, grandchildren, and neighbors to this safe option for trick or treating. Halloween candy will be given out from trunks of cars, and there will also be a free bouncy house.
Sunday, November 14th –RUMC’s 175th Anniversary Celebration. Please in prayer for this very special day. We are inviting all members, former members, former pastors, and all our Riverview neighbors to this event. It will begin with a special Sunday morning worship service, followed by a delicious pot luck dinner. The goal is to reminisce, visit, and share wonderful memories of our Church. There will be more information available as we get closer to November. For questions, please call the church office at 813-677-5995, or Fran Carrillo at 813-677-6836. We are looking forward to seeing old and new friends. --Fran, Jan, and Sharon (the 175th Anniversary Committee.
By the way thanks to Linda Chion Kinney of the Observer Newspaper for spending two whole mornings at Riverview United Methodist Church on behalf of our church’s 175th Anniversary and our RESTORE food bank operation. She was invited on campus by Annabelle Lennard, and she did a great job getting interviews and pictures. You can read her article in the August Observer at this link.
Haitian Relief
The Gulf-Central District is working to put a relief container together to help the relief of the village of Cayes, Haiti—Pastor Telcy’s hometown. After recent earthquake sandwiched between two separate tropical storms, many of the towns and villages in Southern Haiti have been destroyed. Many people are homeless, or are living without the basic necessities of food, pure water, or electricity.
The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is also announcing a new Emergency Advance to assist the people of Haiti more generally. RUMC is currently collecting financial contributions to assist both of these efforts. You can donate online or by designating a portion of your offering envelope as “Haiti”.
Note that we have added two new giving category options onto our online giving portal. You can now direct money to our long-term building savings account “The Legacy Fund”, or to “Missions” which for the near-term will be monies designated for Haitian relief.
Small Group Notes
The Gleaner’s Sunday School class is meeting on Sunday morning, as it has for decades. They are currently assembling in Crichton Fellowship Hall at 9:00 AM. In September, that class will begin another year of International Sunday School Lessons as they explore what the Bible has to teach.
Our Wednesday Evening Bible Study is being conducted via Zoom, from 6:30 until 7:30 PM. That study has recently begun looking at Rick Warren’s Purpose Driven Life. Contact Connie Mosley (766-7104) or the church office to be added to the invitation list for that study.
Another Wednesday Study is meeting life from 10:00 AM until 11:30 AM in Crichton Fellowship Hall. That study has been studying a book by Billy Graham entitled The Holy Spirit: Activating God’s Power in Your Life throughout the spring and summer months. In September, we will be learning about the Fruits of the Spirit. Newcomers are welcome to join us!
Online Giving at RUMC
Giving online is easy and allows you to set up automatic recurring contributions and view your complete online giving history from anywhere you have access to the Internet. Or you can enter one-time contributions from the internet or by smart phone.
To get started, simply follow these easy steps:
- Click on the Online Giving button below. This will take you to our church’s online giving webpage.
- Click on our Create Profile button on that webpage.
- Follow the onscreen instructions to create an online profile and to schedule your recurring or one-time contributions.
Rev. Louis Telcy, Pastor
Here at RUMC, it is our mission to win people to Jesus Christ; to train believers to become growing disciples; and, to send disciples to impact our community and world for Jesus Christ.
Morning Service 8:00 AM Fellowship Hall
Main Service 10:30 AM Sanctuary
8002 U. S. Highway 301 South, Riverview, FL 33578 813-677-5995
Download the September, 2021
Bell Newsletter from this link.
Please Mark These Important Dates on Your Calendar:
Tues. 9/14 Homecoming Planning Meeting, 11:00 AM in the Church Library. Fran and others will be going through old pictures and articles about the church, and planning the publicity and preparations for our 175th Anniversary celebration.
Tues. 9/21 Church Council, via Zoom at 7:00 PM
Sun. 9/26 Worship Committee Meeting via Zoom at 7:00 PM. Carole and the committee will be finalizing plans for our November 14th Homecoming Service. (Rumor has it that Rev. Sharon Austin will deliver the message, and Rick Phillips will be our musical guest.)
Tues., 10/12 Finance Committee at 7:00 in the Church Library. We will discuss the 2022 budget, and the results of our external audit.
Fri., 10/15 Transmission of Charge Conference Documents due at the District.
Sun., 11/7 Charge Conference, 2:00 PM
Sun., 11/14 Our 175th Anniversary Service and Celebration 10:30 AM and following.
